Perseus

Year 3000, Day 53.

The overseer stared at the crowd in front of him. With black armor covering everything below his head and a golden lion insignia inscribed onto his chest plate, He looked the most intimidating of everyone present at the opening ceremony. His beard and hair were as white as snow, but his skin was devoid of any signs that he was an old person. He pulled out both of his swords from the scabbard tied to his waist and roared out the command.

Guard stance!

The red-armored knights standing ahead of him followed his command and took their guard stances. Swords were raised in front of the scarlet-plumed Barbuta helms. Complete focus on the stance.

Attack! "

The overseer slashed his swords in the air simultaneously. The pressure from his swings created a terrifying sound, almost as if he was tearing up the air around him.

The Red knights used both of their arms to strike the air once. The collective sound of five of them was not as impressive as the overseers' attempt. But it was still strong enough to cut a man in half with ease.

"Down!"

All the Red Knights had different swords, and they used them to make an arc in the air. After that, they returned the swords to their scabbards.

"Repeat after me!"

The first years wore royal blue uniforms, while the second years wore emerald green. They had been asked to form two separate groups.

"Valor, determination, and strength."

"Valor, determination, and strength."

"This is the code of your life."

"This is the code of our lives."

"Below the eyes of Astarte."

"Below the eyes of Astarte."

"You carve out your new path."

"We carved out our new path."

His eyes scanned through the crowd. Everyone had been obedient to his commands.

"Your upperclassmen will be holding a recruitment session after this. As newcomers, you get to choose your sword-type, and master it as the year goes on."

Hephaestus, Thanatos, Ares, Perseus, and Ulysses are "house leaders."

The Red Knights stepped forward.

"I submit their responsibility to you. Do not let me down. "

The voice of authority

"Understood, Grandmaster!"

The overseer turned around, waving his cape to the side.

"Dismissed."

He placed his black swords back into their scabbards and walked away from the crowd with elegance. The heavy armor was of no hindrance to him. He got onto the carriage, and the carriage driver whipped the horses to move.

The five red knights split off from each other. They took positions in front of the ground.

"All the second years, report to your respective houses."

One of the knights declared

The 250 second-year students were split into five groups and walked behind the leader of their respective houses.

"Hephaestus, Broadsword."

"Thanatos, Falchion."

"Ares, longsword."

"Perseus, Arming Sword and Shield."

"Ulysses, Sabre."

One by one, they called out their sword styles and houses.

If you become a Red Knight, you get to choose different styles to train in. As aspiring knights, you must make your decision and choose the style that is best for you. We will be waiting for you at our respective chambers, the location of which is provided in your rulebooks. Participation is compulsory. Now, you can retreat to your dorms and make your decision."

Ares, Ulysses, Thanatos, and Hephaestus were large groups. Perseus only had around 20 students, and their dejected faces expressed shame and disappointment. A stark contrast to all the other groups that were proud of their houses.

"Disperse."

-----------------------------

Excuse me? Is this the Hephaestus Chamber? "

Gawain knocked on the finely polished wooden door twice.

Along with five of his male roommates and some other recruits from a different region, he was here to assess the first house.

Welcome.

A red-haired senior opened the door to the chamber. She was wearing a green uniform, meaning that she was a second-year student.

The first Red Knight was seated behind his desk. He had swapped out his armor for the standard uniform. His hair was grey, he was wearing glasses, and his eyes were piercing through all of the newcomers. The stare alone was enough to scare a few of them.

The expected turnover for the group was 20 this year. I wouldn't settle for anything less. '

"The Leader of the Hephaestus House."

A bunch of murmurs came from the group.

"How many of you want to join this group?"

All of them raised their hands, except for Gawain.

What about you? Why are you here? "

He remained calm after the question and said,

I will not make any hasty decisions. After going through all of the houses, I will pick a style that suits me. "

Some of the students flashed sarcastic smiles, and the members of the house all folded their hands simultaneously.

Seriously?

The leader raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

He wasn't going to lie.

"Get out then. My house doesn't need you. "

His anger was visible in his eyes. Gawain bowed once out of respect and said,

"Yes, Sir!"

He turned around and left the room without an argument. If the leader couldn't handle the truth, then there was no point in joining this house.

"Thanatos is next."

He had memorized the map of the academy from the rulebook.

"Second floor, first room."

A black wooden door. He was about to knock, but the door opened before he could do so.

"Are you here to become a dark knight?"

"A dark knight?"

The boy who had opened the door had extreme dark circles below his eyes. His face was exhausted.

"I am here to visit this house."

"Visit?"

"I will hold onto my decision until I assess all the groups and see what they are about."

The boy couldn't believe his ears. After a moment of silence, he said,

You are going to "check" all the houses out before making a decision? "

"Yes."

"Then let me ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Do you like Scythes?"

"Not really. It is a gardening tool, right? "

"Fuck Off."

The boy shut the door in his face.

"Rude."

He walked away with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Next Up, Ares."

3rd flood, 5th room.

Welcome, newcomer. Why have you arrived so late? "

An enthusiastic giant welcomed him at the entrance. There was no door to the room.

"I was at the other houses."

"Oh? And what were you doing there?"

I'm finding the right style for myself. Can I come in? "

The giant friend seemed friendly enough.

"I am afraid that is not possible."

He extended his hand to block the entrance.

"The Ares house is not supposed to be an afterthought to newcomers. You only join if you want to. "

"But I haven't"

"I am sorry."

He denied him access to the chamber. With nothing else to do, Gawain sighed and left the floor.

"Ulysses 5th floor, 1st room. "

A wooden door that had been painted white.

He knocked on the door twice.

"Is this the house of Ulysses?"

The door opened.

Enter."

He slowly walked into the room, looking around the place with each step. It was large and white, neatly decorated with various kinds of saber-type weapons and two bookshelves on each side of the room. Ahead of him, there were 14 people and a desk similar to the one that the leader of Hephaestus was sitting behind.

"That makes it 15 members."

"Excuse me, but-"

"What is it?"

"Shit."

It was the instructor that had punished him.

"Speak."

Gawain calmed his nerves and said,

"I am only here to look around for now. I will only make my decision after assessing all the houses. "

The instructor stood there, unimpressed.

"If you feel offended, I am happy to leave."

Did I say that?

The instructor waved his hand.

Don't jump to conclusions. Your name is Gawain, right? "

"Y-yes."

"Tell me, how were you intending to assess the other houses?"

By learning more about their styles and finding a suitable one for me, Unfortunately, the situation with the previous houses was more like "Join or Leave. "

"Not surprising. It must be very offensive to them if a newcomer like you tries to compare their styles with each other. "

"I wasn't going to"

"They wouldn't understand that."

He sighed. The other recruits were looking at them in awe.

"Have you ever used a saber?"

"I haven't."

"Gwen, hand me the wooden saber."

Another red knight. She threw the wooden saber toward the instructor.

"The saber art of Ulysses is renowned for its speed and precision."

A fast slash in the air. He couldn't even see the blade.

"The overseer is also a follower of this art style."

Another slash, a stronger blow, and a faster wave of wind.

"To learn more about it, you will have to join."

"Can I hold that?"

The instructor had no reservations. He handed Gawain the sword.

It was very light.

"Easy to control, but difficult to master."

"I still have one more house to visit."

You are free to do so. I have no insecurities about the strength of my style. "

"Thank you."

He handed the saber back to him.

This instructor was patient. So far, Ulysses' house has been in the front running.

"Sir, I never got your name."

"Arthur."

He bowed once and left through the door.

"I guess you have found your student then."

Gwen could see it in his eyes. Arthur was going to train that boy.

"A kid that isn't affected by rejection and failure. What more do you want in a student? "

The rest of the recruits were waiting patiently for their turn. They had made the right decision. Even the shameless girl was here, and she was bewitched by their leader's attitude.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Perseus House."

His mother had taught him a valuable lesson as a kid. Never judge a book by its cover.

"May I come in?"

"Why are you here?"

A female voice.

"I am here to learn more about the Perseus house."

Take your leave. We don't take any students. "

"Please. I am just here to take a look."

A creaking sound followed, and the door was open.

You will find a better style in the other houses. We are-"

"Celia, I finally found the book."

The girl that was pushing him away was a second-year student, while the other girl that walked out of nowhere was the red knight that was representing the house.

"A student?"

Her face lit up.

"Celia, invite him in!"

The girl at the door sighed and said,

"You should have left when you had the chance."

The red knight placed the book in her hand on the table.

"Welcome to the house of Perseus."

A clean room, but smaller in comparison to Ulysses' house. The walls were light purple, and there were swords, shields, and spears all over the place.

"My name is Joan. I am the leader of this house. "

Her cheerful personality was opposite to her demeanor at the training ground.

"What is your name?"

"Gawain."

"A nice name! So Gawain, are you here to join my house?"

"Not exactly."

Her expression changed.

"Then why are you here?"

"I am here to learn more about your style. I will only select a style after I confirm that it is the best choice for me. "

Expression change. She returned to her previous state of euphoria.

"Well, you have come to the right place. Celia, give the boy a sword and a shield."

The girl, named Celia, followed the orders. Gawain took the weapon and the shield from her hand.

"You wear,"

Without her directions, Gawain had already grabbed the enarmes (strap) of the wooden shield.

"Raise your shield to your chin."

It was a wooden round shield, not too big for him.

"Your positioning is..."

She looked at his shield.

'Perfect stance.'

"Is this right?"

Gawain was feeling a lot more comfortable with the shield. His grip on the sword was still a bit awkward.

"It is good. Now raise your sword to point in my direction. "

He raised the sword, and his arm was steady.

"Good. You are now in the middle stance. Thrust your sword forward. "

A strong thrust. His hand was steady and the shield was in a perfect position.

"Celia, grab a sword."

the extent of his abilities. She had to know if he was a newcomer.

"She will land a soft blow to your shield. All you have to do is deflect it in the opposite direction."

Sword reflex. If his sword hand moved even slightly in response as he deflected the move, it meant that he was an experienced sword and shield user.

Celia raised her sword.

"Ready?"

Gawain was feeling elated.

"Ready."

Her sword swung lightly towards the shield. He gripped the strap tightly.

"Deflect."

The sword connected, and the shield pushed it to the left.

His arm didn't move. There was no sword reflex.

Celia was surprised at his timing. His reflexes were on point.

"Clap, clap."

"Excellent."

Joan was convinced. He was a natural talent.

He was still staring at the shield in his hand.

"As a student that worships the art of my lord, I extend my invitation to you."

She had to get him. His talent would be wasted in the other houses.

"Will you join my house?"